


Morning under the stars of Leo

by RockySilence



Series: Constellations [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bickering, Confusion, F/M, Handcuffs, Hickeys, Kisses, M/M, Wine flu, and some poetry, space juice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 12:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockySilence/pseuds/RockySilence
Summary: One room, one bed, a handful of stars and two heads full of fuzzy memories about what happened the night before... So what exactly happened the night before?





	Morning under the stars of Leo

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Lance’s morning was a dream. As his fuzzy memories started to come online, Lance also thought that the previous evening must have been a dream too. He glanced down at his shoulder again in confirmation, careful not to move around much, unwilling to wake that little monster just yet even though he was using Lance as a pillow without asking first. But then again, it was just like him to do so.

Lance would recognise that mullet anywhere. Glancing at the clock, he relaxed. They still had about a varga to get down for breakfast. As to why he woke up so early, Lance had no idea, although he was grateful he did. He stared at the handful of faint, luminous stars he glued to his ceiling with a placid, goofy smile. The constellation Leo winked down at him. It wasn’t like he did not have enough stars around him already, because, hello, he was actually closer to them than ever in his life, but it reminded him of good times. Good times he had back home with his family, where he glued stars on every available surface in the house from the ceilings to the walls, the inside of closets and the refrigerator door to his Mama’s fury. Lance explained to his Mama that those stars guided him to the milk in the fridge, as in the morning he was travelling the Milky Way from his room on the second floor down to the kitchen to pour himself his morning glass of calcium boost. She burst out laughing. He was nine and he wanted to grow taller than his sister. Veronica never let him live it down, but eventually, Lance did outgrow her. After the sheer amount of milk he drank, he better had.

Later, he moved into the Galaxy Garrison and guess what was the parting gift his family bought him. A bag of sticky, luminescent stars. Once he got to know Hunk, his roomie, and ruled that he was a cool guy, Lance wasn’t shy about covering the underside of Hunk’s mattress on the bunk bed they shared. Hunk thought it was awesome. When they got to space on that crazy day he met Blue, Lance still had a handful of stars in his jacket pocket. He did not remember when he put them there, but he shed a couple tears finding them weeks later when he decided it was time to wash his Earth clothes.

Lance sighed and yawned, wiggling a little to revive circulation in the arm that the little monster was lying on. The movement roused Keith a little. Lance stopped moving right away, hoping that it would last just a little longer. He watched as Keith’s fingers flexed and he turned his head, rubbing his forehead, the bridge of his nose and his cheek against Lance’s chest and collarbone. He recognised the pattern of movement. He saw Keith do this previously against his own forearm just before waking up when he occasionally fell asleep in the common room. During those times, he thought it was a surprisingly cute habit that was at odds with his usual personality that earned him the title of “little monster” in Lance’s head. Little, yeah, because big monsters were not cute and the Red Paladin at that time was definitely the cutest thing Lance saw in a while. Except the space mice, but their cuteness was on a whole other intergalactic plane, incomparable.

After a minute of peace and quiet, the little monster started all over again. His forehead, the bridge of his nose, his cheek and oh, the jaw was new. Lance just watched the top of his messy head, enjoying the feeling. Was this the way Keith woke himself up every day? He kind of hoped so. It was nice being on the receiving end. His jaw was a bit scratchy, but Lance knew he could get used to it. Keith was stretching and flexing against him like a cat, progressively shimmying closer and closer. Yeah, he must be thinking that Lance was just a pillow or the rolled up duvet or whatever. There was no way the little monster would do this if he was aware of his true surroundings. Lance struggled to remain motionless and keep his breathing to the minimum, because pillows did not breath.

He knew very well that this peaceful morning won’t last much longer, but he was adamant on stretching it as far as it would go. His tanned skin was tingling all over and his cheeks were as rosy as ripe summer peaches, he just knew. Not to mention that he was a very healthy young male with a very pressing matter under the sheets. Keith’s leg was across his, but still a good distance from his hip thankfully. Lance was sure that if the little monster woke up with that pressing against him first thing in the morning then there would be bloodshed. There was a high chance that there will be some bloodshed anyway, but Lance was trying his best not to make it worse. Keith groaned, pressing his forehead against his collarbone to yawn against his skin. Lance stopped breathing but he had no control over his racing heart. The little monster was awake, now it was a matter of seconds before he realised Lance was not the pillow he thought he was. The hand that was leisurely thrown across Lance’s middle over his duvet came up to tap his arm and settle on his shoulder, pushing, like he intended to stuff a pillow further under his head. The shoulder did it. Keith tensed up and Lance took a careful breath. Here it goes…

‘Quiznak’ Keith growled like he swallowed a handful of gravel. Heavy tics passed before the tension just seeped out of the little monster back to where it came from as he stretched his arm with a growl, letting it fall back into its original resting position across Lance’s middle. Lance, very confused, was still waiting for hell to break lose at any tic now. Keith wiggled, rearranging himself slightly and oh boy, he was not the only one with a morning case. Lance’s peachy complexion turned a lot more peachy. He could feel it on the back of his hand as his whole arm was trapped under the little monster. Lance detached every thought in his head that had anything to do with his left arm. A twitch of a finger and he was as good as a dead man moonwalking.

‘What happened?’ Keith murmured and Lance still wasn’t sure whether it was a rhetorical question aimed at a supposed pillow or whether Keith was actually addressing him. Lance swallowed, but decided to put an end to the ambiguity. All this excitement so early in the morning was bad for his heart and mental health.

‘Morning, Mullet’ his voice, although quiet, was scratchy and discontinuous, worse than he expected but then again, they did do quite some yelling and screaming yesterday as he managed to piece together form strangely dodgy memories.

‘What are you doing in my bed?’ Keith huffed. Not yet angry, rather confused, but definitely on the path towards a temper tantrum. It was up to Lance to divert him in time before all of this blew up in his face.

‘Look around, Mullet’ Lance prompted gently. ‘Does it look like your room?’ Keith lifted his head slightly.

A few tics later he received the second ‘quiznak’ before Keith slumped back against him, apparently not yet willing to move or rather lacking the energy to do so, but that was more than fine with Lance.

‘Why am I half naked?’ the little monster asked suddenly. ‘Why are you half naked?’ he asked anew before Lance had a chance to answer. ‘At least I hope, you are half naked. I know I’m wearing pants. Are you wearing pants? I’m afraid to move.’ Lance almost broke out in a laughing fit, but reminded himself just in time that he wasn’t supposed to move his arm, so he settled for a smirk.

‘I’m wearing shorts’ he said finally and Keith sighed in relief, deflating like a luftballon. There went the third ‘quiznak’ in under two dobashes. Despite reassured that Lance was not in his birthday suit under the duvet, Keith still did not budge. It was an interesting lack of reaction to say the least.

‘Is that your arm underneath me?’ Keith asked, tensing up again. The blood froze in Lance’s veins for a moment, expecting hellfire.

‘It could be’ he started cautiously, ‘but your weight cut off my circulation a while ago from shoulder down, so I have no idea.’ Lance’s arm was indeed tingling, but it wasn’t as numb as he claimed it to be. He was still very much aware of the pressing matter against the back of his hand. Keith must have realised too. The little monster braced himself and lifted up an inch.

‘Move’ he growled and Lance regretfully shifted his arm across the sheets. As soon as he moved just far enough to be clear of his hips, the little monster let his weight drop, slacking against him. Now his arm was trapped under Keith’s upper body but feeling was returning into it. The tingling intensified at first and Lance flexed his fingers a couple of times to make the invisible ants walking under his skin go away faster. ‘How did this happen?’ Keith asked anew. ‘You yelled at me’ he murmured, trying to piece together the mess that was yesterday evening.

‘You yelled at me’ Lance huffed.

‘You yelled first.’

‘No, you yelled first’ Lance corrected him ‘I yelled back.’

‘No’ Keith argued, jamming his index finger into his shoulder. ‘You yelled first and I yelled back.’

‘You yelled first’ Lance pressed his version of the truth. ‘Then we both yelled.’

‘Yeah, we both yelled’ Keith agreed on the second part. You yelled first though, he thought, but decided to shut his mouth and concentrate on what came next. So, what was it that came next? ‘We yelled, then…’

‘We yelled some more’ Lance shrugged.

‘Okay! What happened after the yelling and the yelling parts?’ Keith growled, his patience stretched thin and his fuzzy mind irking him further.

‘I think it was Shiro who had enough of it’ Lance hummed, thoughtful.

‘Yeah, Shiro… Shi…’ Keith froze before he jumped suddenly. ‘Handcuffs!’ he exclaimed, lifting his head to look Lance in the eyes.

‘Coran handcuffed us together!’ realization downed in on Lance. He raised his right hand, remembering the weight and the pull on his wrist that was Keith yanking Lance’s arm around like a wild animal in his attempt at getting free. His wrist was bruised in the shape of a wide bluish-green bracelet.  Keith lifted his left hand, pressing his sharp elbow into Lance’s stomach. He hissed and Keith slid his arm further over him with an annoyed tsk, so his elbow was pressing into the mattress underneath them instead. His bracelet was purple and yellow, stark against his pale skin. Apparently, they were both yanking hard, Lance noted. Looking at the evidence side by side, Lance thought his bracelet was a notch less noticeable, given his warm complexion, but bracelets aside, there were no handcuffs now. They both let their arms drop. ‘What happened to the handcuffs?’ Lance frowned.

‘We continued yelling… or at least I think you were yelling’ Keith rubbed his forehead. ‘Scratch that, I’m sure you were yelling. My ears still hurt.’

‘If I was yelling, you were yelling too because I wasn’t yelling for nothing’ Lance scoffed.

‘Yeah, so we kept yelling. What, I don’t know.’

‘Me either’ Lance frowned, ‘but I remember Allura was the one who had enough of it this time.’

‘Yeah, she had Hunk lock us into a pod’ Keith frowned, confused for a moment. ‘Why would they lock us into a… of course,’ he slapped his forehead, ‘because those things are insulated’ he added.

‘Hunk, the traitor!’ Lance exclaimed, holding his head too. ‘But wait, they left…’ Lance raised his hand, pointing off into a random direction.

‘And I think we broke that pod’ Keith hissed.

‘I’m positive we broke that pod’ Lance nodded. ‘Otherwise we wouldn’t be here. But, we were still handcuffed. Where did the handcuffs go?’

‘I think I tried cutting them off with my knife’ Keith hummed, staring into Lance’s baby blues, thinking hard.

‘It didn’t work’ Lance’s face darkened. ‘You almost cut my hand off, you lunatic!’

‘Yeah, I remember you yelling like a banshee. Again’ the little monster had the audacity to smirk.

‘And I remember you yelling like a crazy person. Again’ he huffed. ‘Then, you wanted to break my thumb!’

‘No, first I wanted to break my own thumb, but you wouldn’t let me. So, I offered to break yours, because why would I break mine when I can break yours, right? Though you wouldn’t let me do that either’ Keith pouted.

‘We fought’ Lance supplied the continuation.

‘I guess l didn’t break your thumb after all’ Keith mused, glancing at Lance’s right hand with five healthy fingers in place.

‘You tried, I can feel it’ Lance frowned, circling his abused thumb. The joints were tender and painful to bend.

‘You pulled my hair’ Keith felt the back of his head, massaging his scalp.

‘You deserved it!’ Lance scoffed.

‘So, we tried to get it off…’

‘But it did not work and we still had the handcuffs when we… broke into Coran’s room!’ they finished together.

‘Looking for keys or something that would open them’ Keith’s eyes lit up for a tic before they both fell silent, thinking hard about what happened next.

‘There were no keys’ Keith said at last, frowning as they ran into another dead end.

‘There was that fancy bottle though’ Lance caught himself giggling all of a sudden.

‘Oh, tell me we didn’t!’ the little monster yowled, dropping his forehead back on Lance’s chest.

‘You dared me to drink from it’ Lance smirked, blushing anew for some odd reason, he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

‘And you did’ Keith sighed, utterly defeated.

‘It was space juice!’ Lance punched into the air with a giggle.

‘You drank half of it…’ Keith lifted his head, trying to recall what happened to the other half. He must have had some too, otherwise his brain would be in better shape. It came back to him a moment later. The space juice was fermented. Very, very fermented. He was choking. ‘You forced the rest down my throat!’ Keith brought a heavy fist down on Lance’s shoulder.

‘Ouch! Of course, I did!’ Lance exclaimed. ‘You tried to cut my hand off then break my thumb! It was payback!’

‘Gosh, it tasted awful!’ Keith grimaced, covering his mouth.

‘It was some kind of moonshine for sure’ Lance allowed himself another laugh. ‘Okay, space juice aside’ he shook his head slightly, steering them back on track. ‘How the quiznak did we get rid of those handcuffs?’ Keith’s eyes widened all of a sudden.

‘What?’ Lance asked timidly, contemplating whether he was better off not knowing.

‘We kidnapped Pidge!’ Keith whispered frantically and they stared at each other in silent horror.

‘Oh boy… You kicked her door down!’ Lance exclaimed, memories flooding back.

‘You threw her over your shoulder!’ Keith countered.

‘Poor Pidge’ Lance whined, burying his face in his palm. Keith stared off into space, racking his brain. Trying to recall at least nuggets of information about the Green Paladin other than kicking her doors down, but he had no luck.

‘So, Pidge got the handcuffs off of us?’ Keith asked, biting his hand in frustration, hoping that Lance remembered more.

‘Man, I don’t know! Did she? I don’t remember… This is horrible! What did we do to poor Pidge?’

‘I think we let her go?’ Keith guessed, recalling the face of a very, very angry little gremlin, but nothing else.

‘You think? What if we locked her up somewhere and she is still there, or worse?’ Lance was pulling on his hair now in distress.

‘What worse?’

‘I don’t know! Broke her laptop? She will skin us if we broke her laptop!’

‘If she got the handcuffs off of us, which I think she did, then we had no reason to bother her any longer’ Lance chewed on his lip, contemplating Keith’s logic with a worried expression.

‘Mullet, I hope you are right about this.’ Me too, Keith thought, but he decided to keep that for himself, unwilling to feed Lance’s bordering hysteria. ‘Okay, so we kidnapped…’ Lance really didn’t want to finish that sentence.

‘Pidge’ Keith supplied, his patience running short.

‘Yeah, we did that… and we presumably got rid of the handcuffs with her help. Afterwards…?’

‘We let her go’ Keith stated firmly, hoping that it was indeed what happened although he had no recollections of doing so. ‘It is the most logical course of action’ Keith wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince.

‘How logical do you think we were sky high on that space junk?’ Lance frowned quizzically, searching for his eyes.

‘We let her go’ Keith repeated adamantly. They would never hurt Pidge. No matter how drunk they apparently were, there was no way they would do something serious. Stupid? Yes. They already proved that. Serious? No. Maybe, he would be compelled to beat Lance into a pulp… or break his thumb… or try and cut a limb or two off… But, no. Nothing crazier than that. Especially not to Pidge. They both respected, and in some cases even feared the little gremlin. She had the means and the tools to air everyone’s dirty laundry if she wished so and after what they pulled… He will worry about this later. Not that he had much to hide, but who knows what else they did while intoxicated. The castle had cameras and Pidge was in control of the footage those cameras recorded. Keith glanced at the still whaling Lance. His mouth was running nonstop.

‘Shut up!’ Keith had enough.

‘But…’

‘No buts, Pidge is fine! Let’s move on! I want to know how I ended up here!’ Lance bit his lip. The little monster was probably right, but there was still a chance they went bonkers on Pidge. Looking at Lance, Keith sighed. ‘Look, first of all, if we did something truly obnoxious I’m sure the castle would already be in a frenzy and we would be in handcuffs again. Secondly, if it bothers you so much when sane, it must have bothered you too when we took a ride through Loony Ville.’ Lance let the air escape his lungs in a long whoosh, finally winding down a bit.

‘You’re right, Mullet.’

‘Of course, I’m right’ the little monster huffed.

‘We piece together what happened, we probably find out about Pidge too’ Lance nodded to himself, eyes drifting closed, face scrunched up in heavy concentration. Any other time, Keith would have cruelly made fun of that expression, but now was not the time. He proceeded to skim his own mind.

‘Handcuffs definitely came off’ Lance declared a dobash later. Opening his eyes, he thought Keith was the one who looked funny with his scrunched-up face.

‘I think Pidge was actually laughing and beaming at some point’ Keith thought, confused. He had a hunch, but so many puzzle pieces were missing, it was painful to try and deduct anything. That space juice packed a mean punch.

‘She had that happy maniac vibe going when she was taking the handcuffs off’ Lance supplied, humming.

‘Why would she be so happy if we kidnapped her?’ Keith contemplated just as the truth visibly dawned in on Lance. ‘What?! Talk to me!’ Keith shook his shoulder roughly.

‘She was happy, because it wasn’t us who threatened her, Pidge threatened us!’

‘Lance, don’t be stupid, we kidnapped her!’

‘That’s it! We kidnapped her because we needed her help!’ Lance pressed his point, suddenly turning sideways on the bed, almost headbutting Keith in the process. Now the little monster was the one lying on his back, Lance’s arm still under him. ‘She had the upper hand!’ Lance poked him in the chest after every word, staring off to Keith’s left, thinking. Lance looked happy again, now that he thought they were the ones who ended up as the actual slippers in this situation and not Pidge. His face lit up with a relieved smile. ’She said’ Lance smacked his lips, ‘she said we can’t make her! Atta girl!’ Lance howled the last, falling on him, laughing.

‘She blew a raspberry at us’ Keith joined in, a new piece emerging from the smoking wreck his brain felt like at the moment. ‘Get off, you’re heavy!’ he pushed against Lance with his arm trapped between them. He went willingly, rolling onto his back. Keith, feeling tired after all the brainwork, took his previous spot too using the boy as an armrest and a pillow. For one, the bed was too narrow for both of them to lie on their backs at the same time and Keith hated lying on his back in general anyway. It always made him feel vulnerable for some reason and Lance made a surprisingly comfy pillow. Keith set his chin on his forearm, his head back in the game.

‘Raspberry’ Lance giggled. ‘Pidge blew a raspberry’ he repeated after Keith. ‘I remember!’ he exclaimed, capturing Keith’s full attention. ‘Pidge said she’s not taking the handcuffs off unless we…’ Lance suddenly choked on his giggles and fell into abrupt silence. ‘Oh.’

‘Oh?’ the little monster echoed suspiciously. ‘Lance, what did you do?’

‘Me? It was you!’ he cried out, pushing himself up on his elbow again. Keith jumped in return and this time, they had no way of avoiding that head bump. They both hissed. Lance hid his eyes and cheeks behind his palm, but Keith could see the tips of his ears turning scarlet. The momentary pain fading, Lance dropped his hand to cover his mouth. Keith pushed himself up on his elbow too, so they could look at each other.

‘Why are you so red and what are you accusing me with?’ Keith poked him in the shoulder with a growl.

‘I’m not telling you’ Lance whispered. If the little monster did not remember then he was better off not remembering, because if he did remember, Lance was dead. It was one thing to imagine some corny stuff late at night and being a little handsy now and then with Keith. He grew up in Cuba after all, passion and affection was not something Lance hid and sneaky hands were a given, but if his memory served him right and what he thought happened really did happen, then Keith is not going to take the medicine Lance served willingly. There was also a high chance that the messenger who said it out loud would end up crippled at best and dead at worst. Pidge had a better chance of survival if she delivered the news to the little monster and not Lance. Lance will have enough left to atone for anyway.

‘What the quiznak did you do?’ now he was angry, leaning into Lance’s personal space, into that little that was left, given their situation and the fact that Lance’s bed was very much intended for single use. Keith was trying to intimidate Lance into telling him what happened.

‘It wasn’t me, you started it!’ Lance squeaked, looking at everything but Keith. He flirted with the thought of yanking the covers over his head to hide, but Keith had his elbow firmly planted. If he yanked, Lance was going to fall out of his bed, possibly pulling the little monster along with him. Not a healthy scenario. Keith leaned closer and closer and Lance was flat on his back now hands raised in a no harm manner. He avoided eye contact like his life depended on it.

‘Lance’ his name rolled off surprisingly smoothly form the little monster’s lips. Lance recognised a honey trap when he stumbled upon one. He used and abused that trick a lot too.

‘Na-ah, not happening’ he shook his head, keeping his eyes on the luminescent constellation above. Lance thought the lion was laughing at him. Keith sat up to lean over him, fists planted on either side of his head. The little monster’s face and unruly mullet blocked the view of his stars. Keith was snarling, his teeth showing in frustration. Reminding Lance just how much he despised being kept in the dark.

‘Whatever you say, I promise not to kill you’ Keith squeezed out between his teeth in an attempt to negotiate. He had a suspicion and something was tugging at his mind, but without a hint form Lance, he knew it won’t surface. He even tipped his head to one side, trying to establish eye contact and appear less threatening at the same time. Lance’s baby blues turned to saucers before he quickly squeezed them shut. The reaction baffled Keith, but he had another issue to crack first.

‘Killing me?’ Lance snickered weakly. ‘We both know you can do a lot worse than simply kill me.’

‘Fine! I promise there will be no torture.’

‘Of any kind?’ Lance pressed his luck, cracking an eye open.

‘No torture of any kind’ Keith grumbled and the other eye opened as well, finally looking at him straight before drifting down. Lance took a deep breath and exhaled in a whoosh.

‘Promise?’ he glanced up.

‘Promise.’ Keith agreed grudgingly.

‘Fine, I’ll tell you’ he nodded, fidgeting in place. Keith pulled back, leaning on his elbow again. Lance let loose of another sigh before he mastered the courage to open his mouth. He spilled everything he could remember. It rolled off of his tongue easily with rhythm and somersaulting r’s because he knew very well, that Keith skipped all of his Spanish classes at the Garrison. Lance thought the little monster flashed purple for a moment.

‘I’m so going to…’ Keith couldn’t finish that sentence, but he could growl and jam a fist into that idiot’s shoulder.

‘Hey, you promised no torture!’

‘Then tell me what the hell happened!’

‘You sure want to know?’

‘Why would I be asking if I didn’t want to know, you idiot?!’ Keith’s voice was getting louder and louder and Lance’s pride was seriously hurting after being called an idiot. Sure, he poked first, so Lance knew he deserved this one, but it still stung.

‘You kissed me! That’s what happened.’ he smirked, putting on a show of confidence that was exactly that, a show. The little monster would find out anyway the moment he faced a mirror.

‘Wow! Stop right there!’ Keith interrupted. ‘You kissed me?’

‘No, you kissed me!’ Lance corrected him with urgency.

‘No, that’s impossible! If somebody did kiss somebody than it was you! You’re the one who is…’ Keith drifted silent.

‘Oh, please do finish that sentence!’ Lance scoffed, angry. ‘Who am I?’ He enjoyed their petty bantering so far, but with that bucket of cold water, Lance’s mood got drenched too. The warm and fuzzy bubble he woke up in burst for good. He knew it would happen at some point, and now they were back to square one, bickering like toddlers. Back and forth and back and forth and going nowhere.

‘It doesn’t matter’ Keith murmured, looking away, their argument suddenly winding down. He wanted to say that Lance was the one always flirting with everyone indiscriminately. Men, women, aliens… it didn’t matter and a kiss while drunk as a skunk would certainly mean nothing to him, but that was going a bit too far. Lance, tired of waiting for the answer Keith refused to give, turned his back on him. ‘Hey, I didn’t mean it like that’ Keith sighed, feeling a pang of guilt, watching Lance’s shoulder hunch.

‘Stop it, Mullet’ Lance shot down his apology. ‘I’ve got it the first time around. Thanks.’

‘I really didn’t…’

‘I said stop it!’ Lance raised his voice. ‘If you want to find out what happened, talk to Pidge, I don’t care anymore. We still have time. Go back to sleep or get out.’

‘Look, I’m not really upset about the… kissing part’ Lance scoffed, clearly unbelieving.

‘Then why argue?’ Lance asked, his curiosity speaking before he remembered that he is supposed to be angry with the little monster right now.

‘It’s kind of a knee jerk reaction’ Lance risked a glance over his shoulder.

‘A knee jerk reaction’ he repeated with a raised eyebrow, expecting a better excuse. ‘I don’t see you arguing with Shiro all the time.’

‘It’s you! You just rub me the wrong way, I can’t help it!’ Lance turned back around, blushing at the thought of rubbing him in even worse ways if the little monster would let him.

‘So, it’s my fault’ he nodded to himself sourly.

‘Yes! No… I don’t know’ Keith moaned, dropping back down onto the bed. The little monster was quite complicated, Lance knew that already. He earned the title of troublemaker at the Garrison, because he managed to push everyone’s buttons in the wrong order. It was one thing that Keith had no idea about how to make friends. Pidge used to have the same issue because of her over the top genius that no one truly appreciated at the Garrison, including Lance, although he atoned for that mistake long ago. Still, Pidge managed not to piss everyone off. Keith was notorious at lashing out and the only reason they did not kill each other was due to Lance’s own tendency to bear with it and meet him head on while everyone else ran. He was a middle child, Lance grew up knowing that if he wanted his voice to be heard, he had to fight three rowdy siblings for it and he wasn’t a quitter. So, they became rivals. Not a blooming friendship for sure, but it was a connection. Then came the ‘buddy phase’ that they earned by saving each other’s asses a number of times. Working towards the same goal of bringing down the Galra Empire also helped. They had a common enemy and the enemy of my enemy is a friend, right? So, they finally reached a fragile friendship that progressively grew on Lance. He did not realise until the day he was leisurely walking a few steps behind everyone, heading to the kitchen for dinner after a long day of training and he caught his eyes wandering. It was a shock. Surely, Keith was not the first guy Lance looked at in a more romantic lighting, he had no issues and prejudices when it came to the matters of love. It was a shock, because it was Keith he was thinking of! His rival, his buddy, his friend! Once that box opened in his mind though, there was no going baahaaaack…

Lance shivered, his hair stood on end as a wave of warmth and electricity washed over him like a tsunami. The little monster, probably bored with his silence, decided to run the edge of a fingernail down his spine, starting from the spot intercepting the line of his shoulders down to his waist. Well, that’s as far as he got when Lance flipped onto his back, trapping the little monster’s hand underneath him.

‘What the quiznak you think you’re doing?’ Lance yelped, out of breath, a hand on his chest to stop his hammering heart from breaking his ribs and running away for good.

‘I just wanted you to turn around’ the little monster frowned.

‘Ever heard of tapping someone on the shoulder?’ another frown. ‘Nevermind’ Lance huffed, arching his back so Keith could pull his hand out. He did not move. ‘Fine, have it your way’ Lance let his weight drop, the little monster’s palm flat against his skin. Maybe that was not the best of ideas, but this morning was a massive ship wreck anyway.

‘Are you still angry with me?’ Keith asked quietly. Lance took pity on him and those downcast eyes.

‘Just, don’t mess with my back, okay?’

‘I didn’t mess with it, I barely touched you’ he argued, now willing to look at him and Lance realised he mistook his momentary confusion as repentance. ‘What’s with your back?’ Lance felt the little monster move his hand and he arched his back again, allowing for movement, thinking that he wanted the limb back. He regretted it instantly as Keith flexed his nails against his skin like a cat. Lance slumped back down, grinding his teeth, ears burning. He fell for it. Again.

‘Take your hand back or don’t move!’

‘Why?’

‘Because!’ Lance folded his arm on his chest, hugging the edge of the duvet. He turned his burning face away, cataloguing the messy state his room was in.

‘If you don’t tell me, I’m going to do it again’ Keith threatened.

‘Ay, dios mío, how thick can you be? Some people just have a sensitive back, okay? Leave it alone!’

‘If I don’t?’

‘What got into you?’ Lance sputtered, pulling the duvet further up and away from the little monster. He deserved to get chilled after all. ‘You flip out over a stupid kiss then you start messing with me?’ Lance couldn’t stop his mouth anymore, he decided to get it all out into the open and let Keith stew in it. ‘Look, I kinda sorta think I have the hots for you and I told you already, but I’m gonna tell you once again. Stop messing with my back and go back to sleep if you don’t feel like leaving.’

‘Can we finish piecing the night together?’

‘What is there left to piece together? Pidge took the cuffs off after we satisfied her bizarre curiosity in how far she can push us and we fell asleep on the closest bed which happened to be mine. End of story.’

‘I don’t think that was the end’ Keith continued to argue.

‘In that case Sherlock, please, do enlighten me’ Lance scoffed. He tried handing him the way out, Keith wouldn’t have it.

‘Have you seen your neck lately?’

‘Have you seen yours?’ Lance countered, glancing at the little monster’s neck. It was covered in… Well, yeah… it matched his bracelet. It was all Lance’s doing. The little monster tasted surprisingly good, so he went a little overboard, but he better not mention that…

‘So what, if we ended up making out a bit? Happens between drunken friends.’

‘Not to me.’

‘Well, now it did. Deal with it.’

‘Did it happen to you before?’

‘As a matter of fact, it did’ Lance sighed, rubbing his forehead. It was a very strange morning and seemingly it got stranger by the minute.

‘With whom?’

‘Why does that matter to you?’

‘With whom?’

‘I can’t say, we agreed never to speak of it again.’

‘Was it Hunk?’

‘Oh man, heck no!’

‘Pidge?’ Lance sighed. Technically, he was not the one to say it out loud so his oath of silence was still unharmed. He covered his eyes. It was that embarrassing to talk about.

‘It was a very, very big mutual mistake. She was lonely, I was lonely and we blamed it on the punch Pidge and Hunk cooked up for my birthday. It’s history. Coran’s space juice is a walk in the park compared to what those two can come up with, believe me. Oh, and just for the record, once she declared that I was a terrible kisser, which I’m not by the way because she was the sloppy one, Pidge gave a smooch to Hunk as well, that’s how wasted we were. Look, Mullet, I’m putting my sweet behind on the line here. If you tell this to any living soul those two are going to skin me and serve me for lunch the next Sunday. Pretty please, if you have just a sliver of humanity in you, you forget this conversation ever happened.’ Lance mustered up the courage to peak between his fingers at the little monster. Keith hummed, brows furrowed, pulling his lips from side to side before nodding at last. Lance felt he could breathe freely again.

‘Are you going to pretend yesterday never happened either?’ He barely took a breath, the little monster dropped a millstone on him.

‘Well, ah… I don’t know, Mullet. Do you want this to end up in a drawer?’ Lance asked back cautiously. He did not want to be the one to take responsibility for this decision.

‘Do you?’ Keith was cruel.

‘I think I’ve told you before that I kinda sorta like you…’ Lance admitted quietly, pushing the little monster’s hand from underneath him so he could turn his back again, pulling the duvet with him and wrapping himself up tight. The remnants of that fluffy warmth gone, he felt cold and tired. His alarm clock started beeping at last and Lance reached out to silence it. ‘You can go down to have breakfast now, the others should be waking up too. If you are fast, you can catch Pidge right away and bribe her into silence. I think I’m going to take some time off, I feel like I’m coming down with the wine flu, so see you in a couple quintants. I would appreciate if you could warn the others that I’m extremely contagious and don’t need any visitors. Thanks in advance.’ Lance wiggled deeper into his cocoon, closed his eyes and breathed slow and even, hoping to keep it together for a couple more minutes. He felt shuffling and movement behind him. Finally, Keith threw his legs over him to climb out of bed. As the little monster’s feet hit the ground he pulled the duvet over his head, turned around to face the wall and curled up, hugging his pillow that still smelled faintly of Keith and fruity space juice. A little bit of salt water won’t make a difference, Lance thought, pressing the corner against his lashes to keep them dry. He calmly listened to Keith dress up and leave his room without dropping a word of goodbye, but it was very much like the little monster to do so, Lance smiled to himself sadly. It was time to take a long, hot shower, brush his teeth, put on a facemask and set a new record in Killbot Phantasm 1. He had three days to kill after all and Lance was positive that he can best Pidge’s high score if he put his mind to it.

After a couple minutes of moping, he left his cocoon behind. He stripped his bed and put on new sheets, shed his shorts and leaving the bathroom door ajar, stepped under the shower where he spent the next twenty minutes scrubbing and shampooing and quietly sniffing. Shower ticked, he shaved and brushed his teeth thoroughly, letting the awful aftertaste of yesterday’s moonshine froth away, leaving only pleasant mint behind. Dropping his wet towel, Lance dressed for comfort when he downed his favourite pair of underwear, pyjama bottoms, blue robe and matching plushy slippers. Lancey Lance’s battle gear for a day of gaming was complete. He was debating whether to mix that facemask now or in the evening, when a brief knock came from the door and someone let themselves in before he had a chance to answer.

‘Stop right where you are!’ Lance called out. ‘I’ve got a very contagious flu that lasts for three quintants. I’ll be fine, so turn around and head out the door if you know what’s good for you!’ Lance heard his door open and close again and he leaned on the basin, sighing with relief. The mirror really did make him look like he had the flu. Face all blotchy and eyes rimmed with scarlet. Lance blamed it on the space juice. Just look what it did to his beautiful skin. He’s gonna swear off of that stuff for life, just like he did with the punch. Looking a little bit harder, his neck caught his attention. The bruises were a perfect match with his bracelet. They must have made it some sort of a stupid competition to have marked each other up so bad. Lance rubbed the abused skin fondly before covering the mirror with the wet towel. He felt miserable already, he did not need any more reminders. Lance decided to skip the facemask. He proceeded with cleaning up the sink and the shower after himself and switching the lights off before he walked out of his bathroom. He almost took a hundred and eighty on the doorstep. The unwanted visitor he thought bailed out on him was sitting on his bed like he owned the place. The little monster’s jacket was laid over Lance’s own on the backrest of the chair in the corner and his boots were neatly aligned on the floor while he sat cross legged, chin in his palm, leisurely flipping through something on his tablet. He too seemingly had a shower as Lance gathered from his damp hair and change of clothes.

‘What are you doing back here?’ he asked, suspicious of his intentions. If he came to laugh at him, Lance is not going to forgive anytime soon. Without looking up, Keith pointed at a tray Lance just noticed sitting on the chair below their jackets. Two bowls of green space goo, two spoons and two glasses of water.

‘Breakfast’ he summarised the contents of the tray briefly. ‘I passed on your word regarding the wine flu. Allura wishes for you to get better soon, Hunk gave me the food as an apology for the pod thing and Pidge thought it is best to quarantine anyone who could have been exposed so I’m your company for the next three quintants.’ Lance blinked, feeling angry and vulnerable. He needed his space right now and he did not feel like entertaining the cause of his current misery even a minute longer, let alone three quintants.

‘You should leave’ Lance cleared his throat, gesturing towards the door. ‘Go, lock yourself in your own room.’

‘Don’t feel like it’ Keith murmured, scrolling away idly.

‘I don’t care how you feel, just move your ass already, I want to go back to sleep.’ Looking up for the first time, Keith’s eyes skimmed over him before scooting back to lean his back against the wall, pulling his legs further underneath him.

‘There’ he pointed at the space he freed up, ‘you have plenty of room now.’ Lance was fuming.

‘Get out!’

‘Why?’

‘Because!’ Lance pleaded, unbelieving. ‘Mullet’ he leaned against the doorway, folding his arms, ‘this drawer business you want done takes some time for me and it doesn’t work if you keep yanking it open.’ Keith put the tablet aside, finally looking up just to have Lance turn away.

‘Come here for a sec, I want to try something’ Lance remained rooted in the doorway, an uncomfortable silence stretching between them. It’s like he was just talking to the wall. Maybe he could lock himself into the bathroom and pour his heart out to the mirror. Yeah, his reflection was definitely better company than Keith. Lost in his thoughts, Lance noticed too late that leaving his bed behind, the little monster was heading his way. He reached out and pulled the bathroom door behind Lance shut, cutting off his escape route before crowding him against the wall. ‘You said you _“kinda sorta_ _”_ like me, right?’ he did not answer. ‘I don’t know yet whether I _“kinda sorta_ _”_ like you so I decided to test it.’ Lance sighed. Even though he refused to hand his heart over earlier, the little monster is going to take it anyway just to trample all over it before leaving it in the dust for Lance to collect and piece back together. He was a cruel little monster. Lance shifted from one foot to the other, arms still folded tight, eyes glued to the corner.

‘Just get it over with so we can move on already’ he agreed to the inevitable, facing Keith at last. A kiss might even serve as a nice memento, Lance mused, trying to look on the bright side as he turned to face the little monster. Those contemplating indigo eyes are going to haunt his dreams for a while. The little monster’s gaze shifted between Lance’s eyes, left to right and left to right and once again before dropping down. Lance swallowed, licking his lips involuntarily, looking away and shuffling his feet. This suspense was frying his nerves crispy. Keith finally made a tiny move, leaning forward and Lance squeezed his eyes shut. The kiss he anticipated was delayed once more. The little monster stepped up to him, Lance’s folded arms the barrier he leaned against to press the cold tip of his nose behind his left ear and inhale. His knees trembled. The little monster’s exhale washed over him just so he could draw another breath. Lance fidgeted in place until Keith grabbed his elbows to keep him from moving around.

‘Would you quit that? It’s annoying’ he murmured.

‘Then you quit playing around’ Lance cleared his throat.

‘I’m not playing around’ Keith denied swiftly, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes.

‘Then what exactly are you doing?’ Lance questioned him anew.

‘Testing.’

‘What?’

‘You.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes. And my senses’ Lance gave up trying to understand his enigmatic logic.

‘Do you know any poems?’ Was Keith still high on space juice? Maybe it had a different effect on half galra or something.

‘Ah-uhm… maybe one piece, but it’s in Spanish’ Lance answered, deciding to let the tide take him away without questioning it further.

‘It will do, start talking’ the little monster demanded. Lance dropped his folded arms, cleared his throat, closed his eyes and quietly recited the short poem he knew by heart.

 

“Cultivo una rosa blanca                                        “I have a white rose to tend

en junio como enero                                              In July as in January;

para el amigo sincero                                             I give it to the true friend

que me da su mano franca.                                    Who offers his frank hand to me.

 

Y para el cruel que me arranca                               And for the cruel one whose blows

el corazón con que vivo,                                        Break the heart by which I live,

cardo ni ortiga cultivo;                                           Thistle nor thorn do I give:

cultivo la rosa blanca.”                                           For him, too, I have a white rose.”

 

Mama was right about making him learn this, Lance had to admit. This poem was never his favourite, but old José Martí knew exactly how to describe the turmoil in Lance’s heart better than anyone in the whole universe.

‘Again’ the little monster demanded, seemingly listening intently so he recited the lines once more, this time with open eyes and a little bit more confidence.

‘Do you… want to hear it again?’ Lance asked hesitantly, once he reached the end.

‘No, that’s enough.’ They looked at each other, but Lance couldn’t decipher a thing from the little monster’s slightly narrowed eyes.

‘What now?’ he asked. Keith let go of his left elbow and laid his hand over the curve where his shoulder and neck met, running his thumb over some of the marks he left. Lance swallowed, clenching his jaw. The gesture was unexpectedly gentle, although Lance’s shoulder jumped every now and then, wanting to pull his ticklish neck in to hide.

‘Why are you twitching?’ of course the little monster picked up on it.

‘Tickles’ Lance murmured, embarrassment painting his cheeks. Keith sighed and pulled his hand back. At least Lance thought, he was pulling his hand back before he slipped it under his robe, pushing the material away to bare his shoulder.

‘Wow, hey… wow… that’s a bit…’ Lance fidgeted in place, grabbing the arm that was holding his elbow. He turned his head to the side, chewing on his lip. The little monster talked about testing him, not undressing him. Suddenly he felt really, really embarrassed which was kind of funny, given that they have already danced well beyond that point. ‘Is this still part of your “testing”?’ he found himself asking as the little monster’s hand settled on his upper arm. Lance thanked his lucky stars that he was fresh out of the shower at least.

‘Yes, it is. Why?’

‘Just askin’ Lance hummed. ‘Uhm, are there any more tests?’

‘Just one.’

‘Does it involve further undressing?’

‘No.’

‘O-kay’ Lance nodded, conflicted whether he should ask about what it entailed. At the end, he had no time to ask. The little monster’s fingers sank into his wet hair, pulling harshly to turn his head back before pressing their lips together. A little noise of surprise escaped from the back of his throat. Lance has been hoping for and waiting for that kiss since he opened his eyes this morning. He’s been even expecting it ever since Keith backed him into that wall and the little monster still managed to catch him off guard. Dry, chapped lips, impatient and rough, inexperienced and clumsy. Keith acted brave, yanking his head down, but now the little monster just stood, frozen like a statue. Naw, that’s no way to kiss, Lance thought, tipping his head to the side, rubbing his lips gently back and forth along the little monster’s chapped lips, trying to soften them up. He was slow and meticulous, patiently waiting for the little monster to loosen up following his own pace before attempting anything else. Finally, Keith’s clenched jaw slacked. Lance broke contact just long enough to lick his own lips and press them back on his, generating more friction. Lance enjoyed the slow burning fire that progressively overtook his body and mind. It was safe and predictable, exactly what they needed, surrounded by so many questions and insecurities where one more risky element might just push them over the breaking point. He licked and rubbed their lips together, the feeling remotely familiar and he continued nipping and sucking fondly when he felt braver, gently coaxing the little monster into following his lead. After some initial hesitation, he started picking up on it to Lance’s immense satisfaction. He let Keith try and explore the little things he just showed him, but Lance refused to let their pace pick up, curbing the little monster’s budding enthusiasm every time with a luxuriously lazy comeback. Passion will come with time, but right now, slow and steady was their bread and butter. Foreheads pressed together, they parted after what felt like an eternity.

‘What’s the verdict, Mullet?’ once he was able to think coherently, Lance whispered the question into the tiny space between them. Keith was stealing Lance’s breath and Lance was stealing the little monster’s with every inhale and exhale they shared. ‘The kissing, I get it, but what’s with the robe and the poetry?’ Lance pressed further, his previous concerns coming back online.

‘Your voice… and your skin… I wanted to see if I could… get used to them.’ Lance noticed him skipping the first question, but couldn’t help the grin pulling his mouth wide, because he was the very reason the little monster was so out of breath. Lance was playing a perilous game though. Hope was spreading shabby wings and he was further and further away from the ground. If Keith decided to drop him now, his foolish heart will not only break, but shatter into who knows how many pieces. That’s going to take a long while to mop up, most likely he will still be walking around on stray shards a deca-phoeb from now.

‘Hey, how about round two? Maybe we could up the game a little?’

‘Yeah, maybe…’ Keith murmured, pressing their lips together without further delay. Continuing where they left off, Lance still insisted on keeping it slow and steady, but by now, he was desperate for a proper taste. He took his time, waiting for the little monster to relax and melt into the feeling before he let go of the arm holding his elbow and used the gap he felt between his ribs and the bend of his elbow to sneak his arm around Keith’s waist. Lance pulled him close, fingers curling into the soft cotton of his shirt. The little monster did not push him away, so he regarded it as a small victory and permission to press his luck a bit more. Lance’s other hand came up to run his thumb, light as a feather over the edge of Keith’s jaw and to his surprise, he obediently tipped his head that way. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but Lance couldn’t help smiling into the kiss, humming happily. He pulled back, just a notch, to take a breath and run his thumb over the little monster’s lips, now soft and pliable.

‘Open up a bit, let me have a taste’ he murmured, barely recognising his own voice. His request was met as the little monster’s lips peeled apart to exhale the breath he held and they remained parted expectantly. It woke something dark and possessive in Lance. He wasted no time to lean in and lick the seam of his lips before gently probing them. The tip of his tongue met the little monster’s briefly before it darted back into the depth of his mouth, teeth clicking shut as Keith flinched away, back stiff as a board. Too much too soon. Lance realised already that the little monster had little to no experience playing this game, probably part of the reason why he was a little freaked out earlier. ‘Just a little bit more’ he found himself pleading as he whispered, running his hand up and down his back, soothing tense muscles.  Keith’s eyes peeled open for a moment to look at him before drifting closed anew. Lance rubbed their lips together like he did the first time around, hoping, Keith would open up. Lance was a true connoisseur and that lick he was allowed earlier wasn’t enough to satisfy the craving that took hold of him. If anything, it only made him more determined. He ran the tip of his tongue against the seam of his lips over and over until they finally parted for him. Lance, learning from his previous mistake, did not rush in this time, but pressed on the little monster’s chin gently, coaxing him to open his mouth further. He reluctantly did. In his excitement, Lance pressed him closer with the arm behind his back but kept besieging his lips only. Kissing, rubbing, licking and even biting, begging for an answer in return. Keith finally took initiative, mirroring him the way he did earlier, melting into the feeling. Lance hummed his approval, waiting it out patiently. He didn’t have to wait long for Keith to be the one tasting his lips. Lance opened his mouth right away and pressed his tongue against his, eagerly drinking up that little involuntary sound of surprise that escaped the little monster’s throat. He kept pressing, taking control again, now free to taste him as deeply as he wanted. Lance purred happily, enjoying every lick, every suck with his whole being. The feeling was heavy, dark and mysterious with a lingering aftertaste of Altean coffee, corrupting his mind like no other thrill he experienced before. The little monster recovered quickly, waging war on him, boldly growling at Lance in frustration as his smile ruined the effect. Lance stopped smiling when sharp teeth sank into his bottom lip, drawing blood.

‘Nhm…’ his half-hearted protest turned into a moan as the little monster stepped up to him, pressing Lance against the wall. The robe couldn’t take the abuse anymore, it slid down his shoulder, defeated, taking the little monsters hand with it. Keith huffed, letting go of it and reached up to thread his fingers into Lance’s hair, tipping his head and thrusting his tongue into his mouth. Lance hummed, meeting him eagerly. The heady feeling slid down his throat easily like that rare forest honey his uncle used to bring back from his European travels. Syrupy and thick with the rich taste of all kinds of berries and you only noticed you had too much when your brain had already chased itself into a sugar frenzy. The little monster’s kiss was dangerous when he put some effort into it. Lance wrapped his other arm around him too, hands running up and down his back, squeezing his shoulders, pressing against his shoulder blades, caressing his spine. Keith pulled back at last, Lance leaning after him as far as the hand fisting his locks allowed.

‘Breathe… can’t breathe…’ the little monster slacked against him, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Lance was beaming, his knees weakening at last to the point of no return and they slid down against the wall together, collapsing in a heap of tangled limbs on the floor, sucking air into their lungs the only concern on their minds.

‘That was… something’ Lance sighed at last, basking in the warm afterglow that made his skin tingle all over, joining the tiny shivers the little monster’s exhales brought along. An affirmative grunt came as an answer. Lance licked his abused bottom lip, still tasting a hint of copper. ‘I though you said no more undressing though’ Lance smirked, his dimples resurfacing.

‘Shut up’ Keith groaned weakly. ‘Just, shut up… don’t ruin it.’

‘So, it was good?’

‘Shut up’ Keith reached up and slapped a hand over his lips, thumb pressed under his chin to keep him from opening his mouth even. Lance chuckled before relaxing into the comfortable silence with a sigh. Once reassured that he would not press the issue any further, the little monster pulled his hand back and wiggled in his arms until he managed to turn with his back to Lance, reclining against him as if he were sitting in an armchair. Lance didn’t mind. He pulled his robe back over his shoulders and only hugged him closer, folding his arms against the little monster’s stomach. They sat like this as long as Lance’s hunched back could take it.

‘Not to complain, but I would say that the bed is a bit more comfortable’ he cleared his throat at last. Keith yawned.

‘Yeah, you’re probably right’ he nodded, Lance’s stomach growling in response. ‘Breakfast is a good idea too’ Keith added, unfolding Lance’s arms so he could get up. The little monster stood on his tiptoes and reached for the ceiling, stretching before turning around. Lance lifted his hands, asking silently. Keith grabbed his arms and pulled, setting him on his feet with ease.

‘Thanks’ Keith huffed in return, letting go to set the chair facing the bed, tray and all, before plopping down on top of Lance’s duvet like he belonged there, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged.

‘Come on, I’m hungry’ he called out to him, sticking the spoons into the food goo and claiming one of the bowls. He waited for Lance to retie the sash of his robe and sit down before lifting the first spoonful to his mouth. They ate in silence. Once finished, Lance took the tray and placed it outside his door, hoping that someone will take it and remember to bring them back some lunch. Back in his room, Lance sat gingerly on the edge of his bed, one leg bent, the other still hanging off. Keith, tired of sitting, was now lying on his stomach propped up on his elbows. Lance was eyeing Keith, absorbed in his tablet again.

‘What’s with the stars?’ the little monster asked out of the blue.

‘What stars?’ he frowned.

‘Those’ Keith pointed up to the ceiling. Oh, those stars.

‘A passing fancy’ Lance shrugged. Keith dropped the tablet and folded his arms, using them as a pillow. Lance got his full attention now.

‘Isn’t there one on Blue’s dashboard too?’ Lance blinked in surprise. He did not think anyone would notice the tiny one, the last one he had, that he stuck onto his Lion’s dashboard. He asked for Blue’s permission first of course, and satisfied with the low, comforting rumble in answer that vibrated long after in his bones, he glued it there in foolish hope that someday that little star would guide him home for a quick holiday before he returned to his beloved galaxies. He adored his family very much, but as sailors’ true love was the ocean, his were the sea of stars. He knew that regardless of how much he wanted to go home, it would only be a visit to Earth before he set out again.

‘When did you go snooping around in Blue?’ Lance asked back with some delay.

‘You gave me a ride back to Red last week, you oaf’ Keith bit back, offended by his suspicious tone. ‘And it’s been there for a while anyway. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it.’

‘Yeah, right’ Lance hummed.

‘So why did you stick it there?’ he asked, but Lance just shrugged in response. Keith huffed, closing his eyes, but kept talking, probably in hope of getting him to share. ‘Hunk keeps a small piece of crystal from the Balmera, he even built this thin little panel that levitates it above the slot where his bayard fits. He says it reminds him of the first time he really felt like a paladin and Pidge, she is raising a plant! Pidge! Have you travelled in Green lately? There is this little dip in Green’s dashboard running under the window where, according to Pidge, excess quintessence is sometimes flowing around and she stuck a plant in there, roots and all because she was curious! She says it’s from Olkarion and that Green is actually the one supplying it with energy to stay alive because the quintessence flow is constant since then. Shiro too, he has this lucky charm or what the quiznak looped onto the armrest of his seat, he says he got it from Allura and Coran and it is some fancy Altean bracelet with stones that supposedly help focus his mind or some other nonsense.’ Keith huffed again, getting to the end of his complaints. ‘So why did you stick that stupid star there?’ The little monster opened his eyes, curiosity eating away at him. ‘Because you were the first who started this… thing.’  Lance was confused at first as to why the little monster was so interested in his single star, but now he had a hunch as to where this conversation was going. All had something personal, except the Red Lion. And Keith did not understand why. Lance kept silent, thinking about his reasons. One of Keith’s stretched out legs lifted, his knee bending with a crack before he slapped his foot down on the mattress in impatience. Unhappy with Lance’s silence, he did it over and over again. It was cute, but Lance would risk feeling him up before he would dare to utter a word to the little monster about being cute. Lance stayed silent, listening to the thud, thud, thud of Keith’s foot hitting the mattress. He wasn’t ready to share his reasons with the little monster just yet and Lance refused to lie about it. Thud. If Keith decided to stick around, thud, then Lance will share eventually, but for now, thud, he was not confident enough to do so. Thud. Thud. Thud.

‘It’s a secret’ Lance said finally. Thud. Surely, he wore his heart on his sleeve willingly, risking bumps and bruises because he refused to keep his affections towards anybody hidden, but there were parts that even he kept under lock and key. The parts that would not survive if someone decided to tear them apart. The story behind his stars were one of these pieces. Lance watched Keith’s foot hover in the air, his ankle flexing as he swung it back and forth before slamming it down again.

‘I don’t get you’ Keith huffed. Whether he meant all the other paladins or just him, he wasn’t sure, but Lance let him ponder in silence for a while.

‘I don’t get you either if that makes you happier’ he offered finally, trying his best to lighten the mood. His foot lifted and fell once more. Apparently, it did not make Keith happier. He returned to his tablet, pushing himself back up on his elbows.

‘So…’ Lance started, trying to change the topic and fell silent right away. He had no idea how to be gentle about this.

‘So… what?’ Keith asked back.

‘What about… us?’ the tablet lowered again and Lance saw that he was browsing through some documents. Keith raised an eyebrow, watching Lance from the corner of his eye as he continued. ‘Well, you didn’t really answer my question before and even though what just happened happened, I have no idea what you’re thinking Mullet and I just want to know where we stand’ Lance cleared his throat, eyes fixed on the little monster. His eyes narrowed and his lips pulled to one side with a frown, turning towards him as he sat up.

‘I’m not good with labels’ he declared at last, poking the wrinkles of the duvet underneath them. Lance spread his hands, clueless.

‘Care to elaborate?’

‘Stop trying to fit everything into a box.’

‘You’re not really happy about this I see’ Lance sighed, feeling disheartened.

‘What does it have to do with being happy or not?’ Keith dropped the tablet on the bed. ‘I just said I don’t want to be restricted by stupid definitions. Do you think Voltron would exist if any of the lions thought they were “just” a lion?’ Lance blinked, slowly making some sense of what Keith was trying to say.

‘I think I hear you, Mullet.’

‘You better’ Keith huffed, picking up the piece of machinery again just to occupy his hands. ‘Just, try not to suffocate the life out of this… something.’ He added at last, looking away.

‘Something it is then’ Lance smiled, a gentle blush painting his cheeks rosy too. Keith went back to reading and Lance lied down on his back, staring up at the gently glowing lion above. It winked down at him, encouraging. The little monster thinks they have something. Not exactly what he wanted to hear, but something was a lot more promising than nothing and Lance was a fighter, not a quitter. With some time, patience and a little bit of help from the little monster, Lance was sure that he can turn this something into a lot more. With a dash of space juice, maybe even a whole lot more, he giggled.

**Author's Note:**

> Your kind words and kudos are my life force. If you enjoyed it, please leave as many as possible.
> 
> The lovely poem, Cultivo una rosa blanca, belongs to the wonderful José Martí.


End file.
